Be careful what U share on Facebook folks

Be careful what you share: How fraudsters use social media - and directory enquiries - to build an intimate picture of our lives192.com, Facebook and LinkedIn revealed as most useful sites for fraudstersEx-offender reveals how he created fake profiles using a picture of an attractive woman to lure unsuspecting men

A new study has shown how fraudsters are able to use information shared online on social networks to build detailed profiles of potential victims.

Researchers interviewed one ex-offender to find out the techniques he and others use to garner details from online sources enabling them to steal others' identities.

He revealed that while users are often canny enough to withhold enough information on one site to foil fraudsters, resourceful crooks can collect enough data from various sources to apply for credit or make online purchases in their victim's name.

Online predator: Researchers interviewed one former offender to get an insight into how fraudsters gather information from individuals' various online profiles to collect enough data to steal identities

Chief among the top three online resources for collecting potential victims personal details was not a social media website at all, but was in fact 192.com.

The directory inquiries website was noted as particularly useful for providing information on where potential victims live, their age, other occupants, and how long they have lived there.

Fraudsters can then flesh out the skeleton identity this crucial data provides by using Facebook for details on location, activities, friends and photographs; and LinkedIn, on which users often reveal their entire work and education history.

'Photos are important. It can give you clues about a password or a security question – you may be asked favourite holiday place, or favourite football club – it’s a piece of information'

‘192.com was such a good resource – the information on there was so good,' the study's interviewee revealed. 'LinkedIn is good – the whole point of the website is to get everything you’ve done across to people you don’t know.’

He added: 'Photos are important. It can give you clues about a password or a security question – you may be asked favourite holiday place, or favourite football club – it’s a piece of information.'

Whose checking your profile? The research, conducted on behalf of online security company ALLOW, revealed fraudsters often mine Facebook profiles for information that could help them crack passwords

The ex-fraudster revealed how he would create fake Facebook profiles using pictures of attractive women to contact men in an effort to get them to reveal sensitive personal information.

'You’ve got to get in to the minds of people – most guys will add a pretty face even if they didn’t know them,' he said.

'One of my victims, I nicked someone’s phone, chose a pretty girl from a different social networking site, got some of her photos and made a profile on Facebook and added a few random people.

'This guy emailed me stuff, where he would be and what he was doing – he thought he had a chance with this fake person I had made up. He was giving me all this information but doesn’t really know who I am.'

On other occasions he merely hijacked the Facebook identity of an existing person to get their contacts to reveal information.

'People can hijack someone’s Facebook activity - I’ve known it to happen, say someone is called Peter, you can set up a new account using the name Pete, copy their image and information to the new account and add their friends and have conversations with them on Facebook.

'You can extract information, it's an avenue to exploit to get bits of information.'

The study, conducted on behalf of personal security company ALLOW, which offers services to keep internet users safe online, revealed how information collected by fraudsters was predominantly used to apply for credit or make purchases in the victim's name.

'Common sense': Justin Basini, CEO and founder of ALLOW, said social media users can take easy steps to protect their identity online

This typically involved using personal details to create an identity at a particular address the fraudster had access to, then applying for credit cards or loans.

Alternatively the offender could collate the details into a complete identity then sell them on to others to commit the fraud.

The fraudster said he felt social networks and social media sites 'didn't care' their services were being exploited by criminals.

'The more popular they are with everybody the happier they are,' he said. 'I think the thing they are worried about is if it became public knowledge that people can get defrauded through using them, I don’t think they would like it.'

Justin Basini, founder and CEO of ALLOW, told MailOnline that the application of 'common sense' can help social media users protect themselves against the fraudsters out to steal their identity.

'One in four people don't check privacy settings on Facebook,' he said. 'One in five people accept friend requests from strangers; and most people use the same passwords for all kinds of services.'

Re: Be careful what U share on Facebook folks

Mon Nov 19, 2012 10:53 am

Only accept people you know as friends. Saves you a lot of trouble.

Re: Be careful what U share on Facebook folks

Mon Nov 19, 2012 11:07 am

Well, it's a drag to have different passwords all the time! I have a few, but there a few little things there to remind me, at least. There are programs with password lockers, to keep 'em for you, but that is password protected, too. So you still have to remember a lot. Someone's gonna crack into you if they want to. I don't see that you can prevent it; I've tried.

Hey, if they want to pay my bills, fine! Because there's not much for them to steal. It got to be too stressful not giving Facebook my full name; I gave them the full name, and felt better about it. I don't have my birthdate on there, or my street address. They need that, the crooks, I would guess. That would be helpful. And it's not there. (I'd bet it's somewhere else, though, anyway.)

And at least one of those "look you up" sites had my age wrong. (They had me older!) And YouTube still thinks I'm 112, so that's good.

But really, you can be part of society, or not. I didn't like it last year when I was out of the loop, and everybody else was in the loop. You can't stop it, anyway. I know of people who have NO social media connection, and you can find their address, phone, kids, grandkids, nieces, nephews, everything. And their age. And their middle names. So what's the point anymore? It's a losing battle. You can try, but you're not gonna win.

rjm

Re: Be careful what U share on Facebook folks

Mon Nov 19, 2012 1:31 pm

that is why I joined under a false surname....my profile pic is an Elvis one, havnt put any location or age.....and I've only added 'proper' friends

Re: Be careful what U share on Facebook folks

Mon Nov 19, 2012 9:16 pm

i use my real name and location and birth date...and i both accept and send friend request to strangersi've had my account suspended twice, once for using a false name, and once for putting the wrong birth date...so i don't really have a choice...i have to use the real onesi have hidden my email address...and i would never put my phone number or address on there

Re: Be careful what U share on Facebook folks

Tue Nov 20, 2012 12:11 am

Elvisgirl wrote:i use my real name and location and birth date...and i both accept and send friend request to strangersi've had my account suspended twice, once for using a false name, and once for putting the wrong birth date...so i don't really have a choice...i have to use the real onesi have hidden my email address...and i would never put my phone number or address on there

how have they found out you've got a false surname?

Re: Be careful what U share on Facebook folks

Tue Nov 20, 2012 12:26 am

Elvisgirl wrote:i use my real name and location and birth date...and i both accept and send friend request to strangersi've had my account suspended twice, once for using a false name, and once for putting the wrong birth date...so i don't really have a choice...i have to use the real onesi have hidden my email address...and i would never put my phone number or address on there

Well, there are different "kinds" of birthdates: there's the one you give Facebook when you sign up, and that has to be real, or they get really annoyed. (Advertising demographics!) THEY want to know that, for certain. But once you're in, you don't have to tell your birthdate to the world. I just wish they'd let put the date in public without the precise year. A woman's prerogative, you know? (Heck, it's very guessable!) That way, people can know your birthday, but you don't have to surrender the prerogative.

One hopes that Facebook security is good, with the info they have that you have chosen to keep "private." They never ask your street address, officially. You can provide it, but that would not be wise at all.

Also, when on vacation, save the photos to your device, or better, to a cloud, but do NOT upload to Facebook until you return. On the other hand, DO keep the posts coming: vague status updates about the news of the day, "like" a lot of your friend's posts, comment on them, etc. (Sharing doesn't seem to work on mobile, although maybe you can go to the full site and share there.) Make it "look" like you are home. You DO have an audience of a billion people! It's not a cozy little "club" like we have here.

I have already told you when I'm leaving and when I return, and I'll send "live" pictures and updates, and so on; that's fun. If my house gets broken into, I kinda know who did it! {JUST KIDDING!} But on Facebook, there are 1000s, maybe, of "friends of friends," and you don't want to post that you're out of town. Or "check in" from a distant airport. Or "check in" at all! Don't do that unless you are close to home. It's like handing the crooks the keys to your house. ("I'm 3,000 miles from home. Welcome!") I'm sure they're all over Facebook.

So, it's the little things like that. A friend of mine went off for the whole holiday season, and told where he was going and when! (And though he didn't put out his street address, you do a quick 'net search, and it's yours.) And since he posts constantly when home, people know he's away, far away. (He has over 500 friends, many of whom have over 500 friends . . . ) It's a mistake to do that; keep it looking "normal" when you leave town. On your return, put up new albums, videos, Smileboxes! But do that when you get back. This is for Facebook, of course, not our little digs here. I told y'all everything last year, even posting from the airport, and everything was fine. (And so many people were kind enough to share their Memphis journeys this past Tribute Week. Just don't do it on Facebook.)

rjmP.S. -- To answer the question about how they find out: they do their own searches, AND they have even demanded that friends rat their friends out! Seriously.

Re: Be careful what U share on Facebook folks

Tue Nov 20, 2012 1:33 am

debtd1 wrote:

Elvisgirl wrote:i use my real name and location and birth date...and i both accept and send friend request to strangersi've had my account suspended twice, once for using a false name, and once for putting the wrong birth date...so i don't really have a choice...i have to use the real onesi have hidden my email address...and i would never put my phone number or address on there

how have they found out you've got a false surname?

i signed up with my real name and birth date, then later i changed to false ones. it was before i knew you can hide your birth date. i just didn't want the real year to be known, so i put 1930 or something like that, and the day and month stayed the right ones. then later i found out you can hide it..so i just hid it and didn't change it back to the real year. then 2 years later i got my account suspended for it. facebook changed it back to the real year, and i got my account back with a warning that if i changed it again, my account would be closed for goodas for my name, when i used the false name, i had my real name written in "alternative name", which was also the name i signed up with. so i guess facebook knew that was my real name...and they also suspended my account for that, and changed the name to my real name. then i got my account back with a warning that if i changed it again, my account would be closed for good

Re: Be careful what U share on Facebook folks

Tue Nov 20, 2012 1:36 am

rjm wrote:

Elvisgirl wrote:i use my real name and location and birth date...and i both accept and send friend request to strangersi've had my account suspended twice, once for using a false name, and once for putting the wrong birth date...so i don't really have a choice...i have to use the real onesi have hidden my email address...and i would never put my phone number or address on there

Well, there are different "kinds" of birthdates: there's the one you give Facebook when you sign up, and that has to be real, or they get really annoyed. (Advertising demographics!) THEY want to know that, for certain. But once you're in, you don't have to tell your birthdate to the world. I just wish they'd let put the date in public without the precise year. A woman's prerogative, you know? (Heck, it's very guessable!) That way, people can know your birthday, but you don't have to surrender the prerogative.

One hopes that Facebook security is good, with the info they have that you have chosen to keep "private." They never ask your street address, officially. You can provide it, but that would not be wise at all.

Also, when on vacation, save the photos to your device, or better, to a cloud, but do NOT upload to Facebook until you return. On the other hand, DO keep the posts coming: vague status updates about the news of the day, "like" a lot of your friend's posts, comment on them, etc. (Sharing doesn't seem to work on mobile, although maybe you can go to the full site and share there.) Make it "look" like you are home. You DO have an audience of a billion people! It's not a cozy little "club" like we have here.

I have already told you when I'm leaving and when I return, and I'll send "live" pictures and updates, and so on; that's fun. If my house gets broken into, I kinda know who did it! {JUST KIDDING!} But on Facebook, there are 1000s, maybe, of "friends of friends," and you don't want to post that you're out of town. Or "check in" from a distant airport. Or "check in" at all! Don't do that unless you are close to home. It's like handing the crooks the keys to your house. ("I'm 3,000 miles from home. Welcome!") I'm sure they're all over Facebook.

So, it's the little things like that. A friend of mine went off for the whole holiday season, and told where he was going and when! (And though he didn't put out his street address, you do a quick 'net search, and it's yours.) And since he posts constantly when home, people know he's away, far away. (He has over 500 friends, many of whom have over 500 friends . . . ) It's a mistake to do that; keep it looking "normal" when you leave town. On your return, put up new albums, videos, Smileboxes! But do that when you get back. This is for Facebook, of course, not our little digs here. I told y'all everything last year, even posting from the airport, and everything was fine. (And so many people were kind enough to share their Memphis journeys this past Tribute Week. Just don't do it on Facebook.)

rjmP.S. -- To answer the question about how they find out: they do their own searches, AND they have even demanded that friends rat their friends out! Seriously.

i NEVER write when i'm going anywhere, for the very same reason. not even if i'm just going to the store

Re: Be careful what U share on Facebook folks

Tue Nov 20, 2012 11:01 am

intheghetto wrote:Ladies & Gentlemen-

This is why I AM NOT part of the Facebook community. When this trend first started I was astounded at how many, apparently millions or maybe billions of people were that willing to divulge personal information and not know where it's being stored or who sees it. When I tell people that I'm not on Facebook they look at me like I have two heads. IMO my life existed without Facebook before, it can continue to exist without it now.

That's funny. Two heads. It's true, though, once you're in it, it's a total magnet. You check it first thing in the AM, and pretty much last thing at night (well, FECC is usually my very last thing, when I'm going to sleep - FB doesn't play well on a Kindle). That's why people look at you like that; it becomes interwoven into the fabric of life.

And it's true that you can't just cancel your account, because they keep all the data; it's precious. It's money.

You can check out; but you can never leave.

Your Forever "Friend":

rjm

Re: Be careful what U share on Facebook folks

Tue Nov 20, 2012 1:58 pm

rjm wrote:That's funny. Two heads. It's true, though, once you're in it, it's a total magnet. You check it first thing in the AM, and pretty much last thing at night (well, FECC is usually my very last thing, when I'm going to sleep - FB doesn't play well on a Kindle). That's why people look at you like that; it becomes interwoven into the fabric of life

rjm

Or obsession by another name.

Society existed long before anyone ever set their fingers on a keyboard, it is not part of the fabric of life either. Social media,the realm of posting messages to hundreds of people who look at it for a second and then forget about it. This year 10 messages, next year 100 messages, then the next year 1000...then getting to know people by questionnaires because they havent got the time to chat for any length of time. How wonderful. The more you post, the more they know about you, the more they can target you with advertising, the more they want you to buy. They have monetised relationships. The irony is that people get caught in it. Like Christmas where instead of buying one meaningful present people buy dozens of presents that get discarded almost as soon as they are opened. As you can see I prefer forums.

I am not saying it is all bad, but when you get caught in it, you're trapped in it.

Re: Be careful what U share on Facebook folks

Tue Nov 20, 2012 8:45 pm

rjm wrote:

intheghetto wrote:And it's true that you can't just cancel your account, because they keep all the data; it's precious. It's money.

You can check out; but you can never leave.

Your Forever "Friend":

rjm

you can cancel your accountIf you don't think you'll use Facebook again, you can request to have your account permanently deleted. Please keep in mind that you won't be able to reactivate your account or retrieve any of the content or information you've added. Before you do this, you may want to download a copy of your info from Facebook. Then, if you'd like your account permanently deleted with no option for recovery, log in to your account and fill out this form. http://www.facebook.com/help/2245628975 ... doABNatzIk

Re: Be careful what U share on Facebook folks

Wed Nov 21, 2012 12:35 am

I´m satisfied as long as I can poke Elvisgirl on Facebook! I think it keeps her satisfied too

Sincerely MB280E

Re: Be careful what U share on Facebook folks

Wed Nov 21, 2012 1:06 am

MB280E wrote:I´m satisfied as long as I can poke Elvisgirl on Facebook! I think it keeps her satisfied too

Sincerely MB280E

Re: Be careful what U share on Facebook folks

Wed Nov 21, 2012 1:10 am

intheghetto wrote:Ladies & Gentlemen-

This is why I AM NOT part of the Facebook community. When this trend first started I was astounded at how many, apparently millions or maybe billions of people were that willing to divulge personal information and not know where it's being stored or who sees it. When I tell people that I'm not on Facebook they look at me like I have two heads. IMO my life existed without Facebook before, it can continue to exist without it now.

Couldn't agree more.

Re: Be careful what U share on Facebook folks

Wed Nov 21, 2012 1:16 am

Elvisgirl wrote:

MB280E wrote:I´m satisfied as long as I can poke Elvisgirl on Facebook! I think it keeps her satisfied too

Sincerely MB280E

Sincerely MB280E

Re: Be careful what U share on Facebook folks

Wed Nov 21, 2012 3:50 am

MB280E wrote:

Elvisgirl wrote:

MB280E wrote:I´m satisfied as long as I can poke Elvisgirl on Facebook! I think it keeps her satisfied too

Sincerely MB280E

Sincerely MB280E

what can i say, i love it when you poke me

Re: Be careful what U share on Facebook folks

Wed Nov 21, 2012 7:52 pm

Elvisgirl wrote:

MB280E wrote:

Elvisgirl wrote:

MB280E wrote:I´m satisfied as long as I can poke Elvisgirl on Facebook! I think it keeps her satisfied too

Sincerely MB280E

Sincerely MB280E

what can i say, i love it when you poke me

I'd delete that before the Doc sees it...............lol

Re: Be careful what U share on Facebook folks

Wed Nov 21, 2012 8:08 pm

debtd1 wrote:

Elvisgirl wrote:

MB280E wrote:

Elvisgirl wrote:

MB280E wrote:I´m satisfied as long as I can poke Elvisgirl on Facebook! I think it keeps her satisfied too

Sincerely MB280E

Sincerely MB280E

what can i say, i love it when you poke me

I'd delete that before the Doc sees it...............lol

why? what's it to him? and why should i care?

Re: Be careful what U share on Facebook folks

Wed Nov 21, 2012 10:30 pm

Elvisgirl wrote:

MB280E wrote:

Elvisgirl wrote:

MB280E wrote:I´m satisfied as long as I can poke Elvisgirl on Facebook! I think it keeps her satisfied too

Sincerely MB280E

Sincerely MB280E

what can i say, i love it when you poke me

And I´m there to please you! Anyway you want me, that´s how I´ll be

Sincerely MB280E

Re: Be careful what U share on Facebook folks

Thu Nov 22, 2012 9:47 am

This is exactly why my Facebook account is friends only, and why I am selective in adding people.

Re: Be careful what U share on Facebook folks

Thu Nov 22, 2012 2:06 pm

MB280E wrote:

Elvisgirl wrote:

MB280E wrote:

Elvisgirl wrote:

MB280E wrote:I´m satisfied as long as I can poke Elvisgirl on Facebook! I think it keeps her satisfied too